OSIRIS-APEX
About
The OSIRIS-APEX mission will reprise the discoveries of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at a second asteroid, Apophis. An hour after Apophis’s dramatic close approach to Earth on April 13, 2029, The OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will use Earth’s gravity to put itself on a course to rendezvous with the asteroid to begin an 18-month campaign of investigation and discovery. Having already challenged our understanding of “carbonaceous” (C-complex) asteroids during its exploration of Bennu, the spacecraft instrument suite will provide first-of-its-kind high-resolution data of a “stony” (S-complex) asteroid—dramatically advancing our knowledge of this asteroid class and its connection to the meteorite collection. After 15 months orbiting Apophis, APEX will use its thrusters to dig into the surface. This will allow us to observe subsurface material, which will provide otherwise inaccessible insight into space weathering and the surface strength of stony asteroids.
Although scientific discovery is APEX’s prime motivation, Apophis’ bulk structure and surface strength have critical implications for planetary defense. Shortly after its discovery in 2004, there was concern that Apophis could hit Earth in the 2029 encounter. Further observations ruled out that possibility, and we now know that it does not present any danger for at least 100 years. Nevertheless, as an S-complex object, Apophis represents the most common class of potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) and knowledge of its properties can inform mitigation strategies. Monitoring Apophis during and after Earth approach provides the first opportunity to witness any change in the surfaces and orbits of an asteroid that could influence its likelihood of striking Earth.
Faculty
OSIRIS-APEX Faculty
Dani Mendoza DellaGiustina
Assistant Professor, Deputy Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-REx, Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-APEX
Earth, Photogrammetry, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Geophysics, Planetary Surfaces, Small BodiesDante Lauretta
Director, Arizona Astrobiology Center, Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-REx, Regents Professor
Astrobiology, Cosmochemistry, Small BodiesMichael Nolan
Deputy Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-APEX, Research Professor
Small BodiesTyler Robinson
Associate Professor
ExoplanetsPeter Smith
Professor Emeritus
AstrobiologyOther Researchers
OSIRIS-APEX Researchers
Dathon Golish
Mission Instrument and Observation Scientist
PhotogrammetryBashar Rizk
Research Scientist/Senior Staff Scientist, OSIRIS-REx/OCAMS
Asteroid Surveys, Planetary AtmospheresAndrew Ryan
Researcher/Scientist, OSIRIS-REx
Planetary SurfacesSarah Sutton
Photogrammetry Program Lead, HiRISE, Researcher/Scientist
Earth, Lunar Studies, Photogrammetry, Planetary Analogs, Planetary Surfaces, Small BodiesSupport Staff
OSIRIS-APEX Support Staff
Kris Becker
Senior Data Analyst, OSIRIS-REx
PhotogrammetryCarina Bennett
Project Manager and Software Engineer, SAMIS
Denise Blum
Business Manager, OSIRIS-REx
Tony Ferro
System Administrator, OSIRIS-REx/SPOC
Michael Fitzgibbon
Software Engineer, Lead Calibration & Validation, OSIRIS-REx
Rose Garcia
R&D Engineer Scientist, OSIRIS-REx
Damian Hammond
Software Engineer, OSIRIS-REx Telemetry Processing
Karl Harshman
Manager, OSIRIS-REx/SPOC
Zachary Komanapalli
Research Technician, OSIRIS-APEX
Megan Montano
Research Technician, OSIRIS-APEX
Anjani Polit
Deputy Principal Investigator, OSIRIS-APEX
Heather Roper
Media Specialist, Senior
Mathilde Westermann
Lead GIS Development Engineer, OSIRIS-REx
Catherine Wolner
Editor, OSIRIS-REx